I just returned from a nice trip to Tennessee to watch my son compete in the SEC Swimming Championships held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I am impressed by the people and the beautiful countryside on every visit. Between the prelims and finals we were able to see some of the countryside. Some beautiful hills, farms and forests.  I am continually drawn to this state….we had a nice trip out here in November of last year and I passed through many, many years ago while in the military.

While I was gone and not blogging I was able to have a small window to view what was going on vis my iPhone…. I tried to not let the phone keep me overly distracted….. My friend John let me know about our plantings…..no stress, good temperatures and abundant rain. I found 3 inches in my rain gauge upon return…. almost too much! Some nice changes over the six-day absence – potatoes have emerged in one of the wire cages and looks like the other cage will have sprouts breaking through in a day or two. The 3 inch diameter strawberry towers are cranking out flowers and berries. The four-inch towers, different design and different variety are growing well but will be well behind the others. Not a bad thing….. it spreads out the harvest over a longer period of time.

Hands got dirty today pulling weeds, planting some heirloom french carrots, pulling up some turnips and snacking on sugar snap peas! The sink works just as I wanted to rinse both the produce and my hands….. My Valentine’s gift is working perfectly. I decided to smoke a brisket today while managing my backyard chores….man it smells so good. Plans for tomorrow…more weed pulling and more snacking on the peas!